We’re welcoming Sara Ittelson as our newest early-stage partner!

She joins us after being in the heart of hyper-growth consumer and B2B marketplaces at Faire, Uber, and Uber Eats. Sara has an obvious knack for partnerships and an understanding of what it takes to scale multi-sided communities. Across her decade-plus of operating, Sara led partnerships and business development across everything from developer platforms to local SMBs.

Importantly, we’ve been inspired by Sara’s core motivators: a desire to redefine work, support entrepreneurs, improve economic access, and empower creators to thrive. And so she joins our team at Accel with a desire to help founders unlock their full potential.

We’re confident that in Sara, entrepreneurs will find an incredible partner for their company-building journey.

Please join us in welcoming Sara.

- Accel

Europe and Israel’s startup founder factories

Former employees of European and Israeli unicorns are founding the next wave of startups as the region’s flywheel of talent continues to spin. Join us as we explore trends from the emergent companies, and examine the journey from unicorn employee to tech founder. Download the report below.

Download the latest founder factories report

At a glance

1,451

The number of tech-enabled startups founded by former employees of 248 European and Israeli unicorns

59%

The percentage of these new startups that have already gone on to secure private funding

55%

More than half of companies built by former employees were founded in the same city as the unicorn, resulting in thriving tech hubs developing in cities where unicorns have been created

Insights

“

The European and Israeli tech ecosystem continues to be a powerhouse of innovation and ambition. Despite a difficult macroeconomic climate, we're seeing a surge in entrepreneurial talent, particularly in sectors such as fintech and AI. Our data shows a striking trend: nearly 1,500 startups sprouted from the roots of European and Israeli unicorn companies, once again demonstrating that they continue to be thriving founder factories. This region is not just launching startups; it's creating seasoned founders equipped with deep industry insights and, in the current environment, the experience to build enduring and resilient businesses that can achieve sustainable growth.”

Harry Nelis, Partner at Accel

2023 Key takeaways

While Spotify, Delivery Hero, Zalando and Criteo continue to top the list, producing 151 tech-enabled startups between them, a new wave of founder factories is on the rise
Fintech unicorns dominate the top 10 as Revolut, Klarna, N26 and Wise rank fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth respectively
35% of tech startups to spring out of fintech unicorns were also in fintech

Click here to read more takeaways and insights from the 2023 report

Welcome, Matt Robinson!

Spotlight On Season Two

Welcome, Ivan Zhou!

At a glance

1,451

59%

55%